The hero of the Arch Enemy Entertainment comic book The Urban Legend is influenced by the world but is super in another way: He's also a teacher.

When the politicians and officials in Capital City have shown themselves unable or unwilling to solve problems for its citizens and constituents — a timely situation given real-life government shutdowns and the like — Malcolm Madiba takes it upon himself to make a difference.

And just as Malcolm goes from his high school classroom to the mean streets, Norwegian writer Josef Yohannes wants comic readers to have a new kind of superhero experience, too.

"The Urban Legend is a story filled with pain, love, ambition, drama and prosperity," he says. "You might say he is a very international hero, because my dream and aspiration is to take The Urban Legend to a global audience. That's why you will see the Urban Legend fighting injustice all over the world in places like the United States, China, Brazil, Norway and in Africa."

Every Tuesday, USA TODAY will exclusively present new pages from the first issue of The Urban Legend, featuring art by British illustrator Stevie "NewTasty" Copter.

Yohannes hatched his hero when traveling in Africa in the summer of 2010 and meeting impoverished children. He could see their potential, yet they didn't have any positive role models.

"I really wanted to inspire them with something that could give them hope of a better tomorrow, something that could inspire them to follow their dreams and never give up no matter what circumstances they were facing," the writer says. "So I had an epiphany about creating my own hero that could inspire them and kids all over the world."

Malcolm has a strong personality but Yohannes wanted a human aspect to him, too. His goal at its core is like everyone else's — to exist in a world where people can live freely and not be prisoners to their own environment — yet he is ready to die for his principles and has no problem taking on those who work against them.

"He is always trying to overcome his obstacles no matter the odds against him," Yohannes explains. "People will embrace the Urban Legend in a different way than they have embraced heroes before because they will see something in him they wish they could see in themselves."

Malcolm has an ally in Sarah Parks, a reporter for the newspaper The Wire who works undercover to reveal the assorted atrocities, corruption and illegal crime in Capital City. On the other side, there's the crooked cop Detective Fletcher and baddies such as Devil´s Advocate, Young Evil, Black Godfather and Manchild.

Yohannes thinks most readers will quickly find a favorite character, even those who may not be tried-and-true comic fans, he says. "It's a story that deals with everyday struggles and how to overcome them in a world filled with corruption, hopelessness and with lots of bad guys."